This project aimed to evaluate whether growers can maintain productivity and profitability while using reduced tillage and cover crops, systems that protect soil but are often perceived as risky. A second objective was to understand whether starter fertilizer (nitrogen + sulfur) could offset early-season challenges in these systems, such as cool soils, heavy residue, and slower early growth.
Category: Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition
Nitrogen fertilizer and soybean yield: what we learned from multi-year trials in Illinois
With high yield potential and with seed high in protein (38–40%), the soybean crop requires a lot of N—roughly 4.5 lb of N per bushel, with about 3.5 lb of that removed with the grain. A 60-bushel soybean crop (similar to the current Illinois average) would need approximately 270 lb of N per acre, while an 80-bushel crop, which is not uncommon today, needs to accumulate about 360 lb of N…
Considerations for fall application of anhydrous ammonia
With warm weather prevailing through most of September and dry conditions through mid-October, corn and soybean harvest in Illinois has progressed well, with 49% of the corn crop and 62% of the soybean crop harvested by October 13, compared to 5-year averages of 44% for corn and 47% for soybeans…
Wet Spring Weather and Nitrogen Loss Revisited
April temperatures were warmer than normal in Illinois, making the January to April period one of the warmest on record. April was also wetter than normal, and as rains have continued into May, questions about nitrogen (N) losses continue to increase…
Notes on nitrogen as planting gets underway
Most of the state has had above-normal rainfall for much of April, so we expect limited planting progress in the coming days. In this article we’ll consider a few nitrogen-related issues to keep in mind as planting progresses in 2024…
Nitrogen for the 2023 corn crop
Helped more than hurt overall by periods of dry weather during the season, the 2023 Illinois corn averaged 214 bushels per acre, the highest yield on record. We’ll look at some results from N fertilizer trials in 2022 and consider how we manage N for the upcoming season…
Fertilizing with high-priced P and K
As the 2022 season winds down, farmers are thinking about their fertility program for the 2023 growing season. While fertilizer prices have declined since spring, fertilizer prices remain high, and fertilizer costs are significantly higher than a year ago